Marriage of maths and microalgae a good export

Previous research has found salt plains in the north west are appropriate locations for microalgae production.

A SPATIAL model developed in WA to identify suitable locations for farming microalgae can be applied internationally and adapted to locate other renewable technology infrastructures, according to developers.

Spatial modelling expert and University of Western Australia researcher Dr Bryan Boruff combined 14 datasets to construct the Australian Algal Cultivation–Spatial Location Model, a model he and colleagues from Murdoch University used to establish that vast tracts of WA land are well suited to large-scale microalgae farming.

The model suggests up to 11 per cent of Australia’s annual demand for automotive diesel could be met using bio-oil harvested from WA-grown microalgae.

Dr Boruff’s previous work identified large areas of the Wheatbelt as suitable for hosting concentrated solar power facilities with the potential to store and supply renewable energy for power grids across WA.

“We really have a lot of land within the state that could be turned over to renewable energy production, not just algal biofuel production, we have a number of different solar options, plus wave-generated energy and wind-generated energy,” Dr Boruff says.

“We already have the world’s largest beta-carotene production facility, just north of Carnarvon, so there are examples of the ability to produce on a large scale here.”